The Carry co-founders created the best weighted vest for women
When I met Esther Sedgwick in 2024 to swap perimenopause frustration stories, I knew she was bound to become a superstar in women’s health. We just didn’t know what the exact path was. At the time, she was an established marketer in tech and an athlete, but she wanted to make big changes in how women experience perimenopause. Now, just more than a year later, she’s going full steam ahead as an entrepreneur: She co-founded The Carry, the first weighted vest designed specifically for women.
In this interview, she and The Carry Co-founder Cortney Bigelow talk about raising funding, creating their product, and preparing to go to market.
The Midst: You were early adopters of weighted vests and are the first brand to create a weighted vest specifically for women. How did you find each other, and how did the product come to be?
Esther Sedgwick: The Carry started out as a Notion doc I created titled “Rucking is the new black”. I was about six months into a health reset and had fallen in love with weighted walks in my hilly neighborhood as part of my new routine.
I was learning all about hormone health and how women can train, eat, and live to feel our best in midlife and beyond — thanks to the work of Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Stephanie Estima, Dr. Kelly Casperson, and many other inspiring clinicians and founders in women’s health. The more I understood about the care and research gap that exists for women in midlife, the more fired up I got about building something that would serve the community.
Cortney and I were new mom friends — our boys attended preschool together. We started taking tennis lessons with two other neighborhood moms (who poetically became our first two investor checks in the bank). On the courts between drills each week I’d share with them my latest findings: creatine, reducing stress, lifting heavy, sleep, protein, hormone therapy, the importance of muscle mass, swapping espresso for matcha and martinis for mocktails, etc. Even our coach was bought in by the end of the summer with his own weighted vest and supplement stack.
Cortney went all in with me, starting her strength training journey and buying the vests I hadn’t gotten yet so we could test them all. After many miles with six of the “top” weighted vests on the market, we felt they all had significant flaws and drawbacks for us.
Around the same time, my mom was diagnosed with Osteoporosis. With my mom’s intention to try a non-pharmaceutical treatment plan, rucking’s promising evidence to build muscle mass and bone density, and the gap I saw in the market, it felt like the universe was telling me: “Go build this thing NOW.”
Cortney Bigelow: It still feels surreal to be sharing our story as founders. For me, The Carry grew out of two themes: motherhood and staying open to what life brings.
Motherhood was a full reset. After postpartum with my first son, I was on a long health journey — trying to reconnect with my body and energy. Along the way, I met Esther at preschool drop-off. What started as quick hellos turned into tennis lessons, rosé hangs, and eventually deep conversations about health, work, and purpose.
At first, I was intimidated by Esther — her background in marketing at Microsoft was impressive and quickly I was blown away by how much she knew and shared about women’s health. She taught me about perimenopause and rucking/walking with a weighted vest. At first, the tennis girls and I were like, “ruck-what?” But as a lifelong wellness enthusiast, I quickly got my own vest to see what the hype was about. Then I began seeing them everywhere… on celebrities, on influencers, around Seattle.
As Esther and I grew closer, more similarities kept surfacing — growing up in small towns, an obsession with brand and design, and a shared drive to create something meaningful at this stage of life. So when she floated the idea of building a better weighted vest, I remember feeling a surge of excitement through my body. It was a brilliant idea. Women like us — who loved Artipoppe baby carriers and Coterie diapers, who care about function and aesthetics — deserve something premium and beautiful, not just “good enough.”
When she asked me to partner with her, I was shocked but thrilled. I’d spent years exploring entrepreneurship, building community online, and dreaming of a brand that truly lit me up. My answer was easy — and of course she already had a killer business plan. We quickly dove in: hiring a design partner, forming the company, defining the limitations of all the “top vests,” and have been grinding ever since.
Fast-forward to just over a year of partnership, bringing The Carry to life has been one of the most fulfilling chapters yet. I’ve loved integrating this workout into my own daily wellness routine and delivering something stylish, functional, and empowering to other women.
Did you quit your day jobs to build The Carry?
Esther Sedgwick: I was in the middle of a “health sabbatical”. My first ever, after spending a decade at Microsoft and leading marketing teams at two Seattle startups. If it wasn’t for the space and clarity that time away gave me, I don’t think I’d be writing this story. I reflected on my values, my purpose, and where my energy was calling me. I was still passively taking inbound calls from recruiters for other roles in tech marketing, but the deeper I got into researching women’s health, the more I wanted to dedicate my time and energy to the field.
I feel fortunate to have a supportive partner and that our family had reached a place financially where I could take a big risk and jump into entrepreneurship. It’s hard work, often not glamorous, and there is no guarantee that it will work out. But the greatest reward is building something that brings the future you envision closer to the people you want to serve — and I’m grateful to be doing that right now.
Esther Sedgwick’s tips for anyone wanting to take the startup plunge
- Be clear on your ‘why’
Make sure you either really love the space you are getting into or are so passionate about the problem you want to solve that you can see yourself living in it all day, every day, for the foreseeable future. Your exit may be 8+ years from now, if you get one. - Create a financial plan
Have a good model for the capital it will take to build the business before it can start generating revenue, and know where that money will come from. Are you bootstrapping? Raising from friends and family? Taking on debt? Most VCs will want a clear line of sight to a billion-dollar business. The vast majority of businesses do not use VC money. - Get plugged in with a community
An accelerator, a network of other female founders at a similar stage, a supportive slack or What’sApp group.They can be so helpful and save you a lot of time with quick advice from hard-won experience. - Go for things
Ask for the meeting, for the check, for a favor, a discount, a referral, an invite, whatever you need. Don’t let fear or perfection get in the way of progress. Accept that you will make mistakes. Keep generating momentum towards your goal every day.
Cortney Bigelow: My path here has been a winding one. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I think I always knew I’d end up building something of my own. My career started in marketing — across tech, retail, corporate and startup life — but once I became a mom, I craved more flexibility and meaning. That led me to start a style blog, which evolved into lifestyle and growing into an online community, then a photography business empowering women through self-love portraits. I even dabbled in creating a wellness product. Each pivot felt like a step closer to what I really wanted: a brand I could be proud of that inspired women to live fully.
By the time Esther asked me to join her on The Carry, I was deep into year four of running my photography business. We had two young boys (1 and 4 at the time), childcare was finally in place, and my husband (also an entrepreneur) was starting his second company. The timing felt a little chaotic, but when I told him about The Carry, he didn’t hesitate. He reminded me this was something I always wanted, and that I had to do it.
It’s been a ride. Building The Carry feels like having a third child — equal parts exhilarating and exhausting — but I wouldn’t trade it. Esther and I are both navigating family life alongside entrepreneurship, and I love that we’re modeling for our kids what it looks like to dream big and take risks. We only get one life — so why not make it full?
Cortney Bigelow’s tips for women wanting to take the startup plunge
- Listen to your gut
If you’re stuck or uninspired, you’re the only one who can shift that. Bet on yourself. - Start before you’re ready
The “perfect” name, logo, or timing doesn’t exist. Brands evolve — just begin. - Everything is ‘figureoutable’
You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll surely grow and learn. - Stay open
If I hadn’t leaned into new friendships and new activities during a vulnerable season, I wouldn’t be building The Carry today.
What are some of the best things about your age or life right now and why?
Esther Sedgwick: My family life is amazing right now. My kids are 7 and 4, and my husband and I are celebrating 9 years of marriage. We love the community we live in, and adventuring together. I have an abundance of fulfilling friendships, feel good in my body and mind, and am filled with gratitude most days. With The Carry I’m 100% aligned in being able to spend my time and energy on something that matters to me–and that I hope will be an inspiration to other women in their ‘aging powerfully’ era.
Cortney: I’m about to enter my 40th year, which has me feeling extra reflective. Over the years, life has grown to such great heights — starting and completing our family with two healthy, lively boys (6 and 2), celebrating over a decade of marriage with my husband and 15+ years of friendship, overcoming hardships, and taking big risks along the way.
This season feels especially full. The Carry arrived at just the right time — it’s the piece that brings my passions, my work, and my sense of purpose together. I feel both grounded in gratitude for what’s behind me and energized for what’s ahead.
Esther, you’ve become a hero for speaking about starting perimenopause on the earlier side and the $3,000 you spent on trying to figure out that you were in peri to begin with. Where are you now on the perimenopause front?
I’m so honored that my story has been able to help other women. I feel great most days now, but am still working on a couple areas. I’ve continued to prioritize a healthy diet, exercise, smart supplementation, and lower alcohol consumption, which has helped a lot.
Sleep and stress management I’m working on. I’m also taking continuous hormonal birth control (Junel, after trying four other brands) which is completely overriding my cycle. Do I love this? No. Is it helping? Yes. Am I worried about blood clots? A little bit! Will I transition to hormone therapy at some point in the future? You bet.
I’m still trying to get to the bottom of some ongoing gut/digestion issues, which are likely linked. But overall, the difference is like night and day compared to what I was going through. And now I have the knowledge and the tools and the database built from all my research to go get what I want when I feel like I need to change up my care plan. I want to help as many women as possible get to this place.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself lately?
Esther Sedgwick: You can create a movement with one other person that impacts thousands of lives. You don’t need millions of dollars to do it. Or a big team. It’s never too late to start.
Cortney: You have the power to inspire others. I’d been told that for years, but resisted believing it — until now. Doing it alongside a partner has shown me the impact is tenfold. There’s a unique energy that happens when women come together. Esther and I feel it, our community feels it, and I know it will keep opening doors.
What’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever done?
Esther Sedgwick: So many things came to me with this question! Losing my dad when I was 25 — we’re never really ready to be in the world without our biggest cheerleader. Physically, I’d say hiking the W trek in Patagonia or delivering my babies unmedicated – but those were very rewarding experiences. On an ongoing basis, juggling the demands of being a mom and growing my career is up there too.
Cortney: Jumping out of an airplane first comes to mind — while studying abroad down under, during college, on a holiday in New Zealand. But really, the hardest thing has been learning to get comfortable doing hard things. When my family moved from Chicago to Washington right after high school, I didn’t know a soul. I had to put myself out there and get comfortable being uncomfortable — and that experience has shaped me ever since.
How can The Midst community help you?
Our business is growing, and we’d love for you to be a part of it! Here’s a few ways you can support us:
- Preorder The Carry weighted vest
- Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn
- Share what we are building with your community
- Share a piece of feedback with us on our product, our marketing, or our website (we’re learning every day).
- Know an angel investor or early-stage VC that loves consumer wellness, fitness, or women’s health? We’d love an intro and are actively expanding our network to meet our growth goals. Drop into our inbox at hello@thecarry.co.
What’s next for you?
What’s next is getting The Carry into the hands of the women who’ve believed in us from the start. We’re moving from prototypes to production and delivering a vest that feels as good as it looks. From there, it’s about further growing awareness — through partnerships with retail, wellness studios, hotels, and health clinics — and expanding our product line with new colorways, co-branded collabs, and fresh accessories.
Our vision is bigger than the vest. We see The Carry as an emerging brand rooted in women’s strength and longevity. We’re building The Carry Rucking Club to host meetups and events nationwide, dropping merch, continuing to expand our product offerings and creating moments that make carrying weight feel like a movement.
Long term? Spotting “Vesties” in our gear everywhere — on athletes, on women we admire in wellness, on celebrities, and in communities around the world (we already have interest from 15 countries!). We’re riding this journey as female founders side by side, learning as we go, and staying close to our customers so we can keep building with them, and for them.
The Carry Web site and social media
Instagram: @thecarry.co @Cortney.Bigelow @EstherSedgwick
TikTok: @thecarry.co | @cortney.bigelow
To comment on this story, go here on The Midst Substack.
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